Day 5 – The Great Tarantula Encounter

Day 5 – The Great Tarantula Encounter| Chile Travel Diary

Date: Monday, March 23
Location: Viña Vik → Viña la Playa
Distance: 65.5 km / 40.7 miles
Mood: Slightly feral, overstimulated, and one spider away from losing it

Early Mornings, Whether You Like It or Not

Mornings here are not optional. Breakfast is usually set for 7:30 a.m., and the days run on a schedule, so whether you slept well or not (I usually don’t), you’re up and moving. It’s not a bad thing — we’re on a bike tour and the best bet is always getting the cycling done in the morning, which leaves the hot afternoons for wine tours, exploring, and other shenanigans.

That said, breakfast in Chile continues to be something I look forward to. Breakfast today was at the Vik and they do the whole “buffet breakfast” thing, but not in a sad hotel way — you get the full spread and you can order eggs however you want, plus bacon, smoked salmon, whatever you’re in the mood for. It’s one of those small things that feels like a big upgrade. Like everything else at the Vik, even the buffet is bougie.

We skipped the garden tour (which I was genuinely sad about) to get the drone up early, hoping to capture Vik in that soft morning light. Instead, we got fog — thick, moody, rolling fog — which apparently is rare here.

And honestly? I wasn’t mad about it.

It made everything feel a little more cinematic, a little less polished. Not the bright, perfect vineyard shots people expect — but something moodier, which I actually prefer.

The 2km “Shortcut” That Wasn’t

Instead of taking the shuttle down to the gates, we decided to walk the 2 km through the vineyard. It ended up being one of my favourite parts of the morning. And it was definately the “slowest” part of this day. In hindsight, we should have appreciated this more (keep reading).

You’ve got Vik behind you — this massive, sculptural building sitting up on the hill — and you’re walking down through the vines with that view slowly shifting as you go. It’s quiet, slightly surreal, and feels like you’re seeing the property from a completely different perspective than most people do (most visitors take the shuttle).

At one point, the GM of Vik pulled over to ask if we needed a ride. Which still feels wild to me — not just that she stopped, but that she took the time to chat with us about the property and gave us her contact info. That kind of accessibility at a place like this isn’t something you expect. That just speaks even further to the level of service here, even from the hotel’s GM!

We did manage to get a little lost (of course), and somehow ended up outside the gates while Jata, Dinah, and the bikes were inside.

Which meant… we had to call up to Vik to let us back in.

Not our finest moment, but definitely a funny one.

Dogs, Ghosts & a Little Emotional Damage

There are (still) dogs everywhere.

Some clearly belong to homes, some don’t, and most of them are just… existing alongside everything else. Most are friendly, a few are not, and you kind of figure it out in real time. Much to Brent’s horror, because he hates it when I interact with the local animals.

While we were waiting at the gates, I met one who immediately decided we were best friends. Full leaner energy. Just pressed himself into me like he’d known me forever. I would have taken him home without hesitation.

And then we saw a black greyhound walking down the road who stopped me in my tracks. He looked so much like Banjo — same build, same presence — and it hit both of us at the same time. It’s been years since we lost our sweet grey, but that kind of thing doesn’t really go away.

That one stayed with me for a bit.

Lunch Hits Different When You Earn It

We rode out into the valley and stopped at San Pedro Restaurant, a proper mom-and-pop spot that felt about as local as it gets. It was off the beaten path (well, everything here is off the beaten path) in a residential neighbourhood.

They had a full spread waiting for us — fruit (so much fruit), fresh juices made from strawberries, blueberries, raspberries (no sugar, just the fruit and somehow perfect), meats, cheeses, fresh bread, guacamole, cake, eggs…

And fried bread.

The fried bread is called Sopaipillas, and it’s a street-food staple here — usually made with pumpkin in the dough, fried, and served either sweet or savory. These were warm, slightly crisp, soft in the middle, and exactly what you want after hours on a bike. I smeared eggs on mine (why are the eggs in Chile so much better than at home?) and it was perfection.

Everything tasted better because we’d worked for it. And also because everything is fresh.

The Drone Incident

At one point, we stopped along this insanely beautiful stretch of road lined with arched trees — the kind of place that demands a drone shot. The weather was perfect, the shot was epic, the street was built for it and we were far enough ahead of everyone else to catch them cycling through.

Brent sent the drone up, navigating the trees carefully… and then the wind caught it and smashed it straight into the branches.

One of the arms broke. This is bad.

We’re here to create content, and the drone is a big part of that. Being in rural Chile with no access to repairs made it worse. It didn’t ruin the day, but it definitely shifted the energy for us. We did get some shots, but that kind of accident so early in the trip adds a layer of stress that, frankly, we don’t need.

Huge credit to Brent here, because he took the full weight of that stress and immediately went into problem-solving mode. When we arrived later, Jata found some epoxy glue, and Brent spent the afternoon DIY-ing a temporary fix just to keep us going until we get home.

But, we got the shot:

Tarantula vs Flip Flops (You’ve been waiting for this, right?)

We arrived at Viña la Playa, and the grounds are stunning. Like, stop-and-take-it-in stunning. With a bit of time before the wine tour and the stress of the drone fiasco, I needed a break.

Truthfully, this is one of the harder parts of trips like this that people don’t see — it’s not a vacation for us; we’re working the entire time. Thinking about content, timing, lighting, logistics, how to get what we need without disrupting anyone else’s experience. And as an introvert, that constant interaction takes a lot out of me. Don’t get me wrong, I love people – espeically in small groups (that’s a common misconception of introverts) – but it does take an exceptional amount of personal energy to be “on” and interacting with people.

So when I get a chance to disappear for 30 minutes, I take it.

While everyone else was exploring the grounds and the pool, I headed down a trail toward the river, humming to myself, set up my tripod to grab a quick clip of this cool treestand and… almost stepped on a fucking tarantula.

Not a small one.
A full, furry, out-in-the-wild tarantula.

They call them “chicken spiders” here, which sounds almost harmless until you realize it’s just the local name for a Chilean tarantula — most commonly from the Grammostola family. Generally harmless. Emotionally? Near catastrophe. They’re native to this region and can get pretty big, with leg spans reaching up to about 10–12 cm (4–5 inches), which… tracks with what I saw because that thing was not small. The good news (which I was aggressively reminding myself of in real time) is that they’re not dangerous to humans — their bite is about the equivalent of a bee sting and they’re far more likely to run away than come at you, which, to be fair, it did. Still, knowing that intellectually and almost stepping on one barefoot in flip flops are two very different experiences.

For context, I used to have a debilitating fear of spiders. I’ve worked really hard to move past it, but this… this tested me. I actually ended up filming myself talking through it just to keep from panicking:

“Okay, Sara, get it together… I’m talking to you so I don’t fucking panic…”
“I’m sure it’s like a friendly tarantula… like a nice one.”
“It didn’t want me. Which is great for me.”
“That’s a good experience to have once in your life. That’s good for that.”
“My feet are fucking bare.”
“That was a tarantula. A real live…Not in a cage, not behind glass…just out here with me.”

It’s funny now. It was not funny then. I’ve published that entire encounter on Instgram is you want a chuckle today. You can see it here.

The spider ran away (thank god), and I immediately decided that was enough nature for one day.

Wine, Wins & a Small Personal Victory

The wine tasting was excellent — Chardonnay, Carménère, Cabernet Sauvignon. We played this scent identification game with little jars which was a super fun way for the group to interact and get a little competitive (in a super friendly way) and your girl, was one of only three people able to identify any proper “notes”. Even sick.

Which I will absolutely be holding onto as a personal win. The cellar itself was beautiful, and the whole experience felt thoughtful without trying too hard.

Dinner, Reineta & One Last Perfect Moment

Dinner was another three-course meal (as everything is here), and I had reineta — a local white fish — lightly fried with a couscous salad, plus a zucchini coconut soup to start. Dessert was Leche asada, Chile’s version of a baked caramel custard, similar to flan but slightly firmer. These group dinners are quickly becoming a favourite part of each day because you can really start to see the group connect and share stories from the day. It’s actually wild how fast you get to know your fellow travellers during group travel.

To cap the day, we were treated to an incredible sunset. One of those that makes you drop everything and run from the table to catch (which we all did).

Final Thoughts

Today had everything — incredible food, a broken drone, a borderline traumatic spider encounter, and moments that felt quietly perfect in between. Not flawless. Not easy. But full in the way that matters. And I’ll be over here patting myself on the back for what I consider to be a serious win in my handling of the “Chicken Spider” (aka…it’s a fucking tarantula).

Food Breakdown 🍽️

Winner of the Day: Lunch at San Pedro Restaurant. Unassuming but that DIY sandwhich with all the fresh ingredients gave me life!
Close Second: Reineta with couscous salad
Drink of the Day: Carménère at the tasting (no idea on $$)